Reinforcement vs. Bribery

1. And other strategies to get the kids closer to independence and you through each day Reinforcement vs. Bribery Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

2. Outline for the next 75 minutes: • Who I am • Reinforcement and the art of doing it well • Bribery and other reactive strategies • Proactive strategies • Coping - for the children and for you • Questions (if you haven’t already asked them) Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

3. What is Reinforcement? • Consequences following a behavior that increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated • It is an effort to be proactive (crime prevention) • Positive Reinforcement – presentation of a positive event immediately following a particular behavior • The kids that we work with learn things differently and may not be intrinsically motivated the way that “typical” kids are, so we need to be a little more proactive and thoughtful as to how we motivate them to try new things, learn and practice new skills, and display adaptive behaviors. Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

4. Reinforcement vs. Bribery • Reinforcement – a PROACTIVE strategy used as part of a long term plan to modify current behaviors, motivate when learning new skills, or reduce likelihood of challenging behaviors • Bribery – a REACTIVE strategy usually employed as an act of desperation and may tend to increase the frequency and intensity of challenging behaviors Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

5. Bribery • Not set up ahead of time and is not offered until a behavior has begun • May involve changing the reinforcement offered to further motivate child to meet expectations (also called “upping the ante”) • Reinforces the challenging behavior Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

6. How do we Reinforce effectively? • Begin with information gathering • The target skill or behavior to be changed • Things that influence the behavior • situational variables • physiological variables • Function of a behavior • Individual level of understanding and skill levels • What is motivating and what is aversive to them Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

7. Choosing effective reinforcement • Primary Reinforcers – “unconditioned reinforcer” it is a naturally positive consequence, a stimulus or situation that is inherently reinforcing. Individuals do not have to be taught to desire them • Secondary Reinforcers – “conditioned reinforcer” has an acquired reinforcing power after being paired with primary reinforcers. Typically more convenient and contextually appropriate Always use the least amount and level of Reinforcement necessary for the situation Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

8. How to implement a Reinforcement plan • Ensure the child understands “first – then” contingencies • Make expectations clearly understood and make it clear what can be earned for that set of expectations prior to the task • Approach it systematically and with a plan Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

9. Things to keep in mind about Reinforcement • Must be provided immediately after desired behavior, with verbal praise • Delayed and token reinforcement should only be used with kids who have a good understanding of the concept and expectations • Reinforcements have different values • Desirable to have a variety of reinforcements available & limit exposure • Select reinforcements that you can maintain control over • Choose the appropriate level of reinforcement for the desired behavior • Choose age appropriate reinforcers to reduce social issues • Consistency!!!! Across all individuals working with the child Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

10. Fading Reinforcement • General guidelines (once a behavior/skill has been established) • Decrease how often reinforcement is provided • Decrease the amount of reinforcement provided • Increase your expectations before reinforcement is earned • Change the type of reinforcement provided **Remember: the goal is to establish or increase intrinsic motivation for the child to demonstrate appropriate behaviors or skills and not create “reinforcement dependency” Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

11. Other Reactive Strategies (what to do if a child is already behaving inappropriately, without using bribery) • Ignore (the behavior NOT the child) • Redirect • Distraction • Remove from the R+ • Teach what to do rather than what not to do • Find a behavior that is incompatible with problem behavior • Verbal reprimands Take stock of your natural reactions…they may escalate the problem Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

12. Proactive Strategies • Be prepared and prepare your child • Choices, choices, choices! • Provide a way to communicate • Consider your teaching strategies and vary them • Break tasks into achievable chunks and end with success • Follow child’s lead whenever appropriate • Avoid challenging situations where possible Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

13. Proactive Strategies…. • Use regularly planned sensory/movement breaks • Structure the child’s time • Provide attention to appropriate behaviors throughout the day • Use visuals • Modify the physical environment • Determine early warning signs for misbehaviour • Set rules/expectations to music (or other interesting forms) Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

14. Coping skills – for you and the kids • Be consistent now and be sane later! • Pick your battles wisely! • Don’t fall for “cute” behaviors with younger kids • Teach strategies they can use to: • problem solve • deal with input • cope with frustrations • Limit your verbal communication during challenging behaviors Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

15. Coping skills…. • Spell off a co-worker/give yourself a time-out • Brainstorm ideas with co-workers • If child’s behavior if it isn’t a problem, but bugs you, accept it • Dress for work, not for beauty • Learn what you can about behavior management • Have a sense of humor and a positive outlook • Take care of yourself Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

16. Questions ?? Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

17. My Contact info • Lisa Foggin 403-892-0034 • Parentsanitycheck@gmail.com • Facebook: parent sanity link • Blog: parentsanitycheck.tumblr.com Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check